The day before the first expected frost of the season, my wife received a phone call.

"Do you want some tomatoes?" a friend asked. Hundreds of tomatoes -- some ripe, some not and some already beginning to spoil -- were waiting to be gleaned from the garden before the freeze could destroy them.

The side burner, however, will do the job nicely. But one problem can be finding a smaller pot to fit.

So this year, instead of improvising with a kitchen pot that holds only three quart jars, we upgraded to a smaller canning kettle that handles seven quart jars and still rests neatly on the side burner.

With a kettle that fits, the balancing act begins. To keep the grill from possibly tipping under the weight of the kettle, you may need a counterbalance (perhaps another large pot of water) on the opposite end. Also, be doubly certain the side burner will support the weight of the kettle -- jars, water and all.

And don't forget to have a full tank of propane and a spare on hand. You won't want to run out of fuel halfway through the canning process.

This year's canned peaches, tomatoes and homemade salsa already are on the shelf, and green tomato relish and plums soon will be joining them.

Now if only we could find a good pickle recipe!

GRILLED SALSA

Ingredients16 large tomatoes (or equivalent number of romas; romas work best)2-3 medium onions20-25 serrano peppers or 8-10 jalapeños (depending on how hot you want your salsa; serrano peppers are hotter than jalapeños)2 small bulbs of garlic1-2 Tbs salt1-2 bunches of cilantro

Optional ingredients2 sweet bell peppersJuice from 1 fresh lime

DirectionsHalve the tomatoes. Cut onions in thick slices. Stem hot peppers. (CAUTION: Be sure to wear gloves and eye protection when handling hot peppers. Even jalapeños will cause your hands to burn.) For a hot salsa, leave the seeds in the hot peppers; otherwise, remove them.

Cut tops and bottoms off bell peppers. Remove fibers from centers of peppers. Cut and unroll each pepper into a long strip. Tightly wrap each garlic bulb in a small piece of foil.

Roast tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, bell peppers and garlic on the grill until tomatoes are slightly shriveled, onions are translucent, hot peppers and bell peppers have a mild char, and garlic is soft and squishy when pinched. (HINT: First put tomatoes and garlic on the grill. Remove tomatoes, then add onions, hot peppers and bell peppers while continuing to roast the garlic. Garlic takes the longest to roast.)

Let cool. Unwrap garlic, snip off top of bulb with scissors, and squeeze out paste. Chop roasted ingredients in a food processor to desired texture -- smooth or chunky. Add salt and cilantro (and lime juice if desired) while processing.